Many areas of land are inhabited by wild ponies, including Manmoel Common in Ebbw Vale
Hundreds of semi-feral ponies are being given a contraceptive vaccine to reduce the number of foals being born on common land across south Wales.
The vaccine is being delivered by dart rifle, and it is believed to be the first programme of its kind in Wales.
It is being administered because too many foals are being born on common land, including on Gelligaer Common in Caerphilly county.
A vet will give the vaccine using a blow-dart and dart rifle.
The programme is being carried out by The Society for the Welfare of Horses and Ponies, external.
So far 300 hundred horses and ponies have been vaccinated across 12,000 acres of land, from the Brecon Beacons and the Black Mountains, down to the south Wales valleys.
The programme could take five years to complete.
Semi-feral ponies are being given a contraceptive vaccine by dart rifle
The ponies on Gelligaer Common include traditional Welsh mountain ponies, but also cobs and Shetland ponies.
The vaccination is also aimed at preventing horses and ponies dying in the cold winter months. Fourteen dead ponies were found in one day in April 2013, following heavy snow and freezing temperatures.
The vaccination also works on stallions, curbing their aggressive behaviour and desire to breed.
The society believe the programme could be extended to other parts of Wales, and say the vaccination could prevent the number of ponies on Gelligaer Common increasing to 1,200 in the next three years.
- Published31 January 2015
